Article carrier



July 25, 1961 F. v. KULIG 2,993,618

ARTICLE CARRIER Filed March 8, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 25, 1961 F. v.KULIG 2,993,618

ARTICLE CARRIER Filed March s, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ilill MW N \[llllllI 1 fimnlwm R NT IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent 2,993,618 ARTICLE CARRIER Francis V. Kulig, Morris,11]., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Federal Paper Board Company,Inc., Bogota, NJ., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 8, 1956, Ser.No. 570,264 1 Claim. (Cl. 220-112) This invention relates to packagingand is more particularly concerned with improvements in a packaging unitcomprising a container or carrier which is particularly adapted to holda plurality of cylindrical articles such as cans of a beverage,vegetables or the like which are arranged in row formation therein.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a portable containerfor a plurality of cans of merchandise or like objects which containeris formed from paperboard or similar material cut and scored to providea pair of opposed side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall connectingthe top and bottom edges respectively of the side walls, together with ahandle formation characterized by multiple plies of material which arecut fiom the top wall and from a reinforcing panel which extends beneatha portion of the top wall;

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a merchandisecontainer and carrier which is particularly adapted for packaging cansof liquid or similar material, and which has a body portion formed froma blank of paperboard material, with the blank being cut and scored toprovide a bottom wall and upstanding side walls which terminate in topwall forming flaps, the latter being adapted to be turned inwardly ofthe top edges of the side walls and to be secured to each other to formthe top wall of the container, one of the top wall forming flaps havinga handle formation cut therefrom and also having an adjoiningreinforcing panel which is reversely folded and secured on the inside ofsaid flap with a cooperating handle forming portion cut from saidreinforcing panel and folded to extend through the aperture in the topwall forming flap which results from the cutting of the handle portiontherefrom and being secured to said handle forming portion in upstandingrelation to the top wall.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a combination carrierand container of the type described which includes a top wall formed oftwo panel sections secured along adjoining margins, one of the panelsections having an integral reinforcing panel which is secured to theinner wall thereof, and a double ply handle formation which is cut fromthe one panel of the top wall and the reinforcing panel therefor andwhich extends in upstanding hinged relation to the top wall with the twoplies being secured in face to face engagement.

It is another object of the invention to provide a carrier of the typedescribed which includes a top wall having two panel sections securedalong their inner margins, with one of the panel sections having areversely folded extension member secured to the inner face thereof anda bendable handle formation which comprises a double ply of material,one of the plies being cut from the top wall panel and folded intoupstanding relation along the longitudinal center line of the carrierand the other of the plies being cut from the reinforcing extensionmember and projecting through the aperture provided in the top wallpanel by cutting the first ply therefrom and positioned in face to faceengagement with the first ply.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom a consideration of the form of the article carrier which is shownby way of illustration in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carrier in fully erected 7 2,993,618Patented July 25, 1961 ICC and filled condition which embodies thereinthe principal features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation to an enlarged scale and with portionsthereof broken away;

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the inside face of a paperboard blankwhich has been cut and scored preparatory to forming the body of thecarrier;

FIG. 4 is a partial plan view showing the paperboard blank of FIG. 3with portions thereof in initially folded relation;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section showing the folding of thehandle forming portions of the blank; and

FIG. 6 is a section to an enlarged scale on the line 6-6 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 acombination container and article carrier which embodies therein theprincipal features of the invention and which is adapted to be formedfrom paperboard or similar relatively flexible and bendable blankmaterial which is capable of being cut and folded to provide the carrierwalls and which has s'ufiicient strength and figidity to support themerchandise which the carrier is designed to receive. For the purpose ofillustration, the invention is shown in a carrier particularly designedto accoininodate six cans of merchandise of standard size, such ascanned beer or vegetables.

The paperboard blank 10 which is illustrated particularly in FIG. 3 iscut and scored to provide the walls and handle formation for thecarrier. The blank 10 is generally rectangular in shape and is dividedby transversely extending score lines 11, 12, 13 and 14 into a pluralityof integrally connected panels of rectangular shape which are adapted tobe folded into wall forming relation in the completed container. Thetransverse score lines 12 and 13 define between them a rectangular panel15 which is adapted to formthe bottom of the carrier. The transversescore lines 11 and 14 cooperate with the transverse score lines 12 and13 to define a pair of rectangular side Wall forming panels 16 and 17,which, in the set up form of the container, are in oppositely dis; posedrelation. The transverse score line 11 defines with the end or marginaledge 18 of the blank a rectangular top wall forming panel or flap 19while the transverse score line 14 and a longitudinally spacedtransverse score line 20 define a generally rectangular cooperating topwall forming panel or flap 21 which has an integral reinforcing panel 22extending between thescore line 20 and the end edge 23 of the blank. Thepanels 19 and 21 are adapted, in the erected position of the container,to be positioned in a plane at right angles to the side wall panels 16and 17, respectively, and to bridge the article receiving space betweenthe same and form the top wall of the container. The panel 19 isprovided with an adhesive area 24 along its marginal edge which isadapted to be employed in securing the panels 19 and 21 into top wallforming position.

Can accommodating apertures or openings 25 are died out of the top andbottom edges of the side wall panels 16 and 17, respectively. Verticallyaligned pairs of these apertures 25 are provided in each of the sidewalls 16 and 17 for each of the cans, there being three apertures alongeach edge fold line 11, 12, 13 and 14 since the-illustrated carrier isdesigned to accommodate two longitudinal rows of three cans each. Theapertures 25 are of truncated triangular outline and the direction oforientation of the apertures in the blank alternates in the successivetransversely extending zones or areas adjacent the edge forming creaselines 11, 12, 13 and 14, which zones or areas are defined between theedge forming crease lines and parallel fold lines 26, 27, 28 and 29,respectively, each of the latter being spaced an equal distance from theadjacent edge forming crease line and inwardly of the side wall panels16 and 17. The apertures 25 which are identical are each defined by arelatively wide base margin 30, an opposed parallel margin 31 of lesserwidth, and convergent angular side margins 32 and 32' connecting therespective ends of margins 30 and '31. The margins 30 coincide with theedge forming crease lines 11, etc. and the margins 31 coincide with thefold lines 26, etc. and the apertures are spaced transversely across theblank in accordance with the spacing of the cans or other objects to bepackaged.

The longitudinal side edges of the blank which form the end margins ofthe erected container are provided with integral, relatively narrow,longitudinally extending, side reinforcing panels 33 and 33' which areadapted to be folded inwardly of the blank and adhesively secured to thebottom thereof as indicated in dotted line in FIG. 3 to form an edgereinforcement for the ends of the carrier.

The top wall forming panel 21 is cut and scored to form a generallyrectangular handle formation 34 and identical oval shaped hand holds 35,35' on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the blank, thelatter being cut on the C-shaped lines 36, 36' to provide tabs 37, 37which are foldable on the crease lines 38, 38, the latter connecting thetermini of the C-shaped cutting lines. The handle member 34 is cut fromthe panel 21 on the generally U-shaped line 39 and is foldable on acrease line 40 which extends transversely of the blank and which isinterrupted by the cutting lines 36, 36' forming the hand hold cutouts35, 35'.

The end panel 22 of the blank which is defined by the transverse scoreline and the end margin 23 of the blank is cut and scored to provide ahandle formation 44 which may be substantially identical with the handleformation 34 and which is provided with the hand holds 45, 45' identicalwith the hand holds 35, 35'. The handle formation 44 is cut from theportion of the panel 22 which adjoins the transverse fold line 20 and acorresponding portion of the top wall forming panel 21 so that theaperture resulting from the cutting out of the handle formation 44extends into the adjoining portion of the panel 21. The handle formation44 is adapted to fold about a transverse crease line 50 of the samecharacter as the transverse crease line 40. The panel 22 is initiallyfolded, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, reversely about score line 20 intoengagement with the inner face of the panel 21, with the handleformation 44 being first folded in the opposite direction about itshinge line 50 and extended through the aperture 39 to bring it into faceto face engagement with the handle formation 34. A suitable adhesive isapplied to the interengaging faces of the panels 21, 22 and the handleformations 34, 44 prior to the folding operation to secure the same inconnected relation.

The blank '10 is cut, scored and folded with the application of adhesiveas required to provide the collapsed form of the carrier which isillustrated in FIG. 4. V

In assembling the carrier with the cans 51 orother objects which it isadapted to receive, the cans are positioned with their ends properlylocated on the bottom wall forming panel 15, the latter being in thecondition shown in FIG. 4. The side wall panels 16, 17 are then foldedinto upstanding relation along the outer side walls of the two rows ofcans and the top wall forming panels 19 and 21 are folded inwardly intowall forming relation with the izrzarginal edges overlapping and securedby the adhesive In the assembled and erected condition of the carriershown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cans or other objects are securely held atthe top and bottom edges in the apertures 25. The. double score lines atthe top and bottom. edges of the side walls permit a double fold ordouble bend and insure that the edges of each aperture will be pulledinto contact with the walls of the container adjoining the bottom edgeor chine on the can, the distance between the score lines 11 and 12 andthe score lines 13 and 14 in the completed carrier being less than themaximum width of the bottom edges of the transversely aligned cans. Thedouble ply handle formation 34, 44 is adapted to be hinged intoupstanding relation for carrying the package while it will normally tendto return to its initial position when released due to the fact that oneportion thereof is integral with the reinforcing panel 22, the latterbeing secured in reinforcing relation beneath the inner marginalportions of the panel 21 and extending a substantial distance over theaperture 39 in the panel 21. The handle 34, 44 will not interfere withstacking of the filled carriers for storage or display purposes. Thereinforcing panel 22 reinforces the aperture 39 against tearing,particularly at the corners or at the extremities of the hinge line 40.The handle 34, 44 when grasped and pulled in any direction does not tearthe material at the terminal ends of the fold lines 40 and 50, each ofthe handle portions 34 and 44 tending to prevent the tearing of theother.

While specific materials and particular details of construction havebeen referred to in describing the form of the carrier illustrated, itwill be understood that other materials and other details ofconstruction may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention.

I claim: a

A blank for fabricating an open ended tubular carton which is adapted toenclose, when erected, a plurality of cylindrical articles arranged inrow forming relation and in longitudinal and transverse alignment, saidblank comprising a generally rectangular sheet of relatively stiifbendable paperboard material which is divided by longitudinally spaced,transversely extending spaced crease lines into a bottom wall formingpanel, side wall forming panels at opposite edges thereof and top wallforming panels at opposite ends of the blank, one of said top Wallforming panels having a handle forming panel member cut therefrom and atransverse score line forming a hinge about which said handle panel isadapted to be swung to an upright position normal to the plane thereof,and said last mentioned top wall forming panel being divided by atransverse score line to provide an integral reinforcing end section, acooperating handle reinforcing member cut from said reinforcing endsection and said end section having a transverse score line forming ahinge about which said handle reinforcing member is adapted to be swung,said hinge forming transverse score lines being spaced approximatelyequal distances in the longitudinal direction of the blank from saidtransverse score line which divides said last mentioned top wall formingpanel, and said handle panel member and handle reinforcing memberextending in the same direction from their respective hinge lines,whereby when the reinforcing section is doubled back and secured againstthe body of said one top wall panel the two handle forming members arepositioned in superimposed relation and both said handle forming membersare adapted to be swung about a common hinge to an upright position outof the plane of the panel and section from which they are cut.

References Cited in the file of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS

